CULTURAL IMMERSION : MYSTIC CARVER EXPERIENCE by Travel Muse
“When you think of a Brahman, what do you picture?” my guide asks. I’ve just arrived in Bali …full of anticipation. My first experience is a meeting with the Brahman Ida Bagus to have a “mystical” experience. Bali is a largely Hindu country and many people travel to the island to have spiritual encounters. From meditating in sacred caves to water healing Ritual ceremonies, the mystical realm is part of their tourism. You can’t separate the spiritual from the cultural there, all closely tied with historical Hindu temples sites. “I imagine someone wise” I answer. Brahmans are indeed often old and wise. The one I met was in his mid-thirties. He is to draw a talisman, based on my intentions and on the energy of one’s name, date and place of birth, making the it really unique to each individual. He then turns it into a carving. A specific mantra is chiseled in the back, to activate our intentions. The perfect talisman, for the perfect journey. Brahman Ida Bagus, a man with welcoming eyes, a sweet smile and a shy disposition, has a radiant energy. I watch mesmerized as he works on my drawing. The end result is beautiful, personal and powerful. We then visit the near-by 12th Century Temple, with its chambers carved in a cliff overlooking a river. “Why someone might come to see you?” - He says it’s to “find a connection to the divine”. That he is “a facilitator for healing and helping people draw from their personal power”. He believes “everything is connected” and that we already have all the tools we need within us, that having such experiences help us tap into those. We also talked about the question of birth. The placenta here is considered as a chakra, an energy center, a ‘guardian angel’, which makes sense as it feeds a new life for nine months… After the birth, a tiny piece of the umbilical cord is kept in a silver jewel around the baby’s neck, as a sign of protection. Bali is very much alive in many ways. Beyond the natural forces the island presents (active volcanoes) everything has meaning or has a ceremony surrounding it. The Balinese ask the Gods for permission for just about everything. There are three rituals a day that the matriarch of the family performs at the family temple. I start to long for a ceremony in my own life. What I decided to adopt in that moment, was the notion of "asking permission". I like the idea of asking internal permission from a place or culture before interacting with it. When traveling one must attempt to observe and apply a place’s customs and cultures in a respectful manner. Sometimes that means stepping out of one’s comfort zone..